Micah 7

ISRAEL’S MORAL DECLINE

7How sad for me!

For I am like one who—

when the summer fruit has been gathered

after the gleaning of the grape harvest^ao—

finds no grape cluster to eat,

no early fig, which I crave.^ap

²Faithful people have vanished from the land;^aq

there is no one upright among the people.^ar

All of them wait in ambush to shed blood;^as

they hunt each other with a net.^at

³Both hands are good^au at accomplishing evil:

the official and the judge demand a bribe;^a

when the powerful man communicates his evil desire,

they plot it together.

⁴The best of them is like a brier;^b

the most upright is worse than a hedge of thorns.^c

The day of your watchmen,

the day of your punishment, is coming;^d

at this time their panic is here.^e

⁵Do not rely on a friend;^f

don’t trust in a close companion.

Seal your mouth

from the woman who lies in your arms.

⁶Surely a son considers his father a fool,^g

a daughter opposes her mother,

and a daughter-in-law is against her mother-in-law;

a man’s enemies are the men of his own household.

⁷But I will look to the Lord;^h

I will wait for the God of my salvation.ⁱ

My God will hear me.^j

ZION’S VINDICATION

⁸Do not rejoice over me,^k my enemy!

Though I have fallen, I will stand up;^l

though I sit in darkness,

the Lord will be my light.^m

⁹Because I have sinned against him,

I must endure the Lord’s fury

until he champions my causeⁿ

and establishes justice for me.^o

He will bring me into the light;^p

I will see his salvation.^Bq

¹⁰Then my enemy will see,

and she will be covered with shame,

the one who said to me,

“Where is the Lord your God?”^r

My eyes will look at her in triumph;

at that time she will be trampled

like mud in the streets.^s

¹¹A day will come for rebuilding your walls;^t

on that day your boundary will be extended.^u

¹²On that day people will come to you^v

from Assyria and the cities of Egypt,

even from Egypt to the Euphrates River

and from sea to sea

and mountain to mountain.

¹³Then the earth will become a wasteland^w

because of its inhabitants

and as a result of their actions.^x

MICAH’S PRAYER ANSWERED

¹⁴Shepherd your people^y with your staff,^z

the flock that is your possession.

They live alone^aa in a woodland

surrounded by pastures.

Let them graze in Bashan and Gilead^ab

as in ancient times.^ac

¹⁵I will perform miracles for them^A

as in the days of your exodus

from the land of Egypt.^ad

¹⁶Nations will see and be ashamed

of^B all their power.

They will put their hands over their mouths,^ae

and their ears will become deaf.

¹⁷They will lick the dust like a snake;^af

they will come trembling out of their hiding places^ag

like reptiles slithering on the ground.^ah

They will tremble in the presence of the Lord our God;^ai

they will stand in awe of you.

¹⁸Who is a God like you,^aj

forgiving iniquity and passing over rebellion^ak

for the remnant of his inheritance?^al

He does not hold on to his anger forever^am

because he delights in faithful love.^an

¹⁹He will again have compassion on us;

he will vanquish our iniquities.^ao

You will cast all our^C sins

into the depths of the sea.^ap

²⁰You will show loyalty to Jacob^aq

and faithful love to Abraham,

as you swore to our ancestors^ar

from days long ago.